Igbo leaders reject Ohanaeze’s move to endorse Jonathan

An attempt by the crisis- rid­den apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndig­bo to adopt President Goodluck Jonathan as its preferred candidate for next month’s presi­dential election during a meeting held yesterday in Enugu failed as Igbo leaders in attendance frustrated a motion to that effect.

The leadership crisis, which is threatening the peace in Ohanaeze was evident as the meeting recorded a very poor attendance having been boycotted by the Chief Mba­zuluike Amechi-led elders council, which recently set up a 19-member caretaker com­mittee to run the affairs of the organization.

The issue of tenure is the bone of contention in the cur­rent crisis in the organization with the incumbent executive members insisting that they have tenure of four years rath­er than two as insisted by the elders council.

The elders council is wait­ing for January 7 when the two-year-tenure of the pres­ent executive is due to end, to inaugurate the 19-man committee to run the affairs of Ohanaeze following the refusal of the executive to set up an election committee as earlier directed by the council.

In an expanded Imeobi meeting at the Ohanaeze Ndigbo headquarters, GRA, Enugu, yesterday, the motion for Jonathan’s endorsement was shot down following dis­agreement among the various Igbo ethnic groups.

South-east Publicity Sec­retary of the main opposition party, All Progressives Con­gress, APC, Mr. Osita Oke­chukwu queried Ohanaeze’s leadership on the achieve­ments of President Jonathan in the South-east geopolitical zone that should prompt his endorsement for re-election.

The motion for Jonathan’s endorsement, which was in­troduced by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu was not seconded leading to an indefinite ad­journment of the meeting.

An attempt by the Ohanaeze leadership to get the house to uphold the issue of tenure elongation split the meeting as Chief Ralph Obio­ha and a section of some Igbo leaders in attendance walked out, insisting that the issue of two-year tenure had long been concluded.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the Secretary Gen­eral, Dr. Joe Nworgu and Assistant National Secretary, Barr. Emejulu Okpalaukwu, the executive said that a com­mittee would be set up by the NEC of Ohanaeze on the is­sue of reconciliation of all ag­grieved parties.

It stated that “the amend­ment of the constitution of Ohaneze as ratified by the General Assembly meeting of 6/11/2010 be published and reflected in the constitution which took effect from said date.”

The meeting came on the heels of a call by the Igbo Youth Vanguard for the lead­ership of the body to present its record of stewardship and the audit report of the organi­zation for the two years they have been in office.

In a press statement issued to newsmen in Enugu yester­day the Igbo Youth Vanguard through its President Vitalis Ogbonna and Secretary Pe­ter Dike said the ultimatum given to the executive to give account of its stewardship became necessary following recent revelations and accusa­tions of corruption against the leadership.

They expressed the urgent need for the grey areas con­cerning the accounts of the or­ganization to be cleared or the vanguard will commence the process of sanctioning those indicted through isolation from all Igbo affairs hence­forth.

The money in question according to the group is a certain $150, 000 yet to be ac­counted for, another N25 mil­lion said to have been released for the 2014 Igbo Day cel­ebration scheduled for Awka in September last year as well as N350 million released for the establishment of Ohaneze Ndigbo Foundation.